Keeping folks hungry for archery

Keaton Chia and his sister always wanted to try medieval sports like fencing, archery and jousting. They were big fans of “The Lord of the Rings” movies and local Scottish games that highlighted archery.

“The skill and artistry required to master the bow and arrow fascinated us,” he recalls.

When he got to college, he decided to give it a try. Today, the 29-year-old is the director of the Easton Archery Center of Excellence in Chula Vista. His work with the Easton Foundations began with the Olympic Archery in Schools program, a league for middle and high school students to practice and compete in teams. At the center in Chula Vista, he’s ultimately responsible for the operation of the facility, including events, programs and promoting the sport to make it more mainstream.

Chia lives in Mira Mesa with his wife, Evonne (who’s also a skilled archer), and their baby daughter. He talks about the center and the school program, what he loves about the sport, and how “The Hunger Games” series drew more kids to archery.

Q: Why was working with the Easton Foundations to promote archery something you wanted to do?

A: Shooting archery in college brought great friends into my life and also gave me the opportunity to teach others, which was very rewarding. So it is a really neat opportunity to work with Easton Foundations to pass on the blessings I have received through archery, to share this community with others and to make a positive difference in lives through sport.

Q: Once you started archery, did you ever get discouraged?

A: Sure did! For my own shooting, it is easy to hit plateaus and slumps in performance. Not only does the sport challenge you mentally with each shot, but also your character in handling disappointments, successes and other turns in your journey. As a coach there are those discouraging times when your student is having challenges and looks to you for answers and you realize you don’t have them.

Q: What do you enjoy about the sport?

A: I enjoy the many challenges that archery presents. It is fun to work on your equipment, to develop a better understanding of how your body works with the bow, to look inward at your own thoughts and mental toughness, and much more.

What I love about Mira Mesa...

We love that it feels so family-focused. There are great parks and trails. Communities have a kind of small-town feel with their local markets and stores, while also being close to larger city areas.

Q: What does the foundation do, specifically, to promote archery?

A: We offer grants to clubs, programs, schools, colleges and universities, and organizations that propose archery-related plans or projects. We also have our own operating programs including Olympic Archery in Schools and our archery centers.

Q: What do you do to get the sport to become more mainstream?

A: You have to see what matters, what adds value to the sport. The love of the game is at the heart of sport, so we re-created the archery game to make it more team-based and focused on match-play, which is more exciting for the archers and spectators. Being part of a team is very powerful, especially for an individual sport. The league took small steps to test different components with a handful of schools in our Los Angeles and San Diego pilot programs. Today, we have 83 schools across five different states, and we’re excited to see it continue to grow!

Q: What kinds of changes have you noticed in the kids in the Olympic Archery in Schools program?

A: We often hear about how their focus has improved both in the classroom and outside of it. Many are more confident and disciplined from training. Archery often attracts those who are not normally interested in sports, so parents often tell us how surprised and happy they are to see their kids outside, practicing a sport and having the chance to be a part of a team.

Q: Have people asked you about “The Hunger Games” a lot over the last few years?

A: Yes! “The Hunger Games” had a big impact on archery. Across the country, clubs saw significant growth as well as a big surge in female participation. Many clubs saw the number of girls double, most often due to “The Hunger Games.” Our sport has an especially neat connection to the film as five-time Olympian, Khatuna Lorig, taught Jennifer Lawrence how to shoot a bow.

Q: Your wife is also involved in archery. What’s the story of how the two of you met?

A: To help grow our (University of California) Berkeley archery club, I helped teach our beginner classes to introduce peers to the sport. Evonne was in one of my first classes and that is where we met. She got hooked and soon joined the team. We had a great time traveling and competing together on the team and became good friends. When I proposed to Evonne in Japan, archery ended up being a part of that story, too, as it happened at Sanjusangendo — a temple where archery tournaments are held.

Q: Between you and your wife, who’s the better archer?

A: She is, of course!

Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

A: Kim Jin-ho, the 1984 Olympic bronze medalist, mentored our university archery team. After a team dinner, a group of us were talking and hearing about her experiences. She shared that “to be a great archer it’s not about what’s up here (pointing to her head), but down here (pointing to her heart).” It’s about who you are as a person. That has always challenged me to be a better person and seek to glorify God in all I do.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: I’m pretty normal … so maybe that I was homecoming king in high school?

Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: San Diego offers so much! A great weekend has time with the family, a bit of something new, some favorites, and good food! Whether it’s hiking to Potato Chip Rock, playing board games with friends, trying new food during Restaurant Week, hanging out at church, or going to the range there is always something different to do to match the mood of that weekend.